Lewis Hamilton reflects on his unfortunate retirement during the United States Grand Prix. The British driver couldn’t finish his race in Austin, finding himself in the gravel trap as early as the second lap. According to Hamilton, this was the first time in his lengthy Formula 1 career that he spun out during a race.
Hamilton lost control of the W15 in the early stages of the race in Austin, becoming the first retiree of the American Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was visibly upset after the race. “I had a great start, overtook (the competition) on the inside, and climbed to twelfth place,” Hamilton told Formula1.com.
“And at that point, it was only the second lap, I wasn’t going full throttle and I wasn’t really pushing,” the Mercedes driver continued. “I was just trying to manage the tires. The car started to bounce on the way in and then I lost everything from the rear.”
First Time Spinning Out
The manner in which Hamilton’s race ended prematurely was a new experience for the driver. “I’ve never spun in a race, not that I can remember at least. If it has happened, it’s maybe only been once in all these years,” says the Brit. “So definitely frustrating, but I know it wasn’t because I wasn’t focused or anything. It was just unfortunate.” Hamilton later explained that his spin was also partly due to “a big gust of wind, up to forty km/h.”
